Cover Image: All Eyes on Her

All Eyes on Her

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

All Eyes on Her was fast-paced, dark, and, at times, darkly funny. It reminds me of a 1990s high school movie. The coolest part about the book is the storytelling format. Tabby and her boyfriend went on a hike one day. Only Tabby came out of the woods. What comes next is a media frenzy about a girl and her dead boyfriend and the possibility that he is dead because of her. What’s fresh about the formatting is that the story is conveyed by onlookers, people close to Tabby, people close to her boyfriend, people who hated them both, strangers hiding behind their keyboards on forums... but never Tabby herself. It’s a realistic way of portraying a could-be murder.

There is feminism spread all over these pages, but it’s a strange kind of feminism. The only feminist commentary is on the double standards between men and women. Things like, how a dead man was a golden boy and a dead girl in the same situation would have been seen as reckless for letting things happen to herself. It was completely valid criticism of society but it was so one-note and heavy-handed.

The characters were all pretty awful. Lying to each other, secretly hating each other, openly hating each other, using each other... Bridget, the little sister, seemed to be the only real level-headed character.

But what made me cringe the most was the open ending. I must admit, I expected as much, with Tabby never speaking up throughout the novel. But there’s a tease of the truth at the end and it’s ripped right out from under your nose and I don’t like that. Yes, it’s probably nuanced and the answer is actually probably pretty apparent if you read into it, but I want to know with certainty how.. basically every book ends. That’s completely a personal preference and it’s definitely up for debate but it’s how the book made me feel personally.

I still recommend picking this up; it’s quick and interesting and your opinion could differ wildly from mine. There is so much information given on the case throughout the novel that a reader could formulate lots of theories and have a fun time following the story.

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love that this story follows the beginning of the Jack and Jill rhyme with a much more troubling mystery behind it. Tabby and Mark (Jack and Jill) went up the hill. And Mark (Jack) fell down and broke his crown and Tabby (Jill) came tumbling after.

What we know is Mark and Tabby hiked the Mayflower Trail who suggested the hike we don’t know. We know that they hiked to the Split, the highest point on the trail. What we don’t know is why. We do know Mark didn’t come off the trail. What we don’t know is did he fall or was he pushed? Like the rhyme Mark falls and “breaks his crown” and now the whole world is looking at Tabby. The world is planning to ensure that she takes the fall (no pun intended) for his untimely death. However, did she actually cause Mark’s death or is everyone so focused on her being guilty that they are unwilling to see another possibility. This is a whodunnit with an entire novel of possible suspects.

This story is somewhat unoriginal in terms of the plot. However the way the story is told through diary entries, text messages, blog posts, newspaper articles, depositions, court transcripts, and personal statements makes for a fun and interesting read. Highly recommended for young adult readers and high school students.

Was this review helpful?

This book a classic "whodunit" wrapped in a myriad of trope standard to YA fiction. And that's not a criticism, simply a fact, nor does it mean that this was not a thoroughly enjoyable read. The author takes unreliable narrator to a whole new level but making each perspective presented in the story questionable and heightens it by making the stylistic choice of having each narrator talk directly to the reader. She makes sure not one of these characters is trustworthy - not even the story's 'victim' - nor likeable... and it works perfectly. The stereotypes/character tropes are all laid out in such a way that readers are meant to question everything, including their own internalized biases.

Was this review helpful?

This book was one that took me longer to read than most books. I found that having the multiple characters share their point of view didn’t always provide the clarity I was seeking and would leave me annoyed. I liked the way the book flowed and you were constantly left on your toes. The ending had me questioning everything and desiring to know for sure what happened that day in the woods.

Was this review helpful?

All Eyes on Her by L.E. Flynn is a fast paced novel that searches for the killer of Mark Forrester, a college swim star. It examines the viewpoints of the friends of Tabby or Tabitha Cousins, the girlfriend, murdered him. It also includes online articles relating theories and reports of the incident as well as police interviews. All of those elements together make the novel quick and easy to read. It reminds me of a version of Mean Girls but more intense because the characters reveal their thought using first person. I kept wanting to read in order to understand not only what really happened but the psychology behind each character’s words and actions. It was very engrossing. It is one of the best novels I have read this year.

Was this review helpful?

Full review on Goodreads. Decent story that held my attention. Characters that were diverse but came together to build the narrratvie and kept me guessing on who to trust. It is like a good bit of popular pieces published lately and is a good addition. A bit heavy on the profanity and talk of sexual situations, but overall good.

Was this review helpful?

I just finished reading All Eyes On Her by FLYNN. What an exciting read and a mysterious ending I love murder mysteries and this one set with high school and . College characters is mind boggling and. would resonate with young people today. Great work.

Was this review helpful?

Good mystery for YA readers. There are multiple POV’s and twists. As has been said before, this is less about what happened, but more about the perceptions
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Tabby, a high schooler, is accused of killing her boyfriend, Mark, a medal-winning swimmer attending Princeton. The story kept me interested the whole time. I liked the format of several people, articles, police interviews, etc.,, telling the story and not hearing the Tabby's voice until the end. I enjoyed reading the different character's thoughts on how the death happened. The characters and their thoughts were believable. I think this would make a great book choice for book clubs.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and for the most part the plot and pacing. At times I confused Elle and Bridget's narratives, needing to reconfirm who was speaking.

I loved the idea of what she alludes to in the ending, but honestly the ending falls flat for me. I don't think it needed to be that vague..it was kind of too cute.

If Tabby was so clever, and it seems she was, the cuteness factor (only word I can think of this morning) rubbed me the wrong way. I think it should have ended just before that; That was a solid ending and in my opinion still let the theme stay.

Was this review helpful?

A new twist on a somewhat overused (at least in YA lit) story. It's no secret that YA readers love murder, intrigue, and drama, so it makes sense that this is a very, very common set up for a lot of new books in the genre; Someone is murdered, girlfriend/friend is suspect, everyone turns on each other, but wait...there is a twist ending! The strength of All Eyes on Her is that it breaks from this formula. The story isn't really about what happened. It's more about the perception of what happened and how people carry a bias with them throughout their day to day life. In All Eyes on Her, Tabby and her boyfriend go for a hike. She comes back and he does not. An investigation is started on his death and the plot takes off from there. The short first person chapters speed the reader through a chopped up/bias characterization of Tabby and here lies the strength of this book. It forces the reader to rely on other characters to build an image of who Tabby is, but these characters are outspokenly bias one way or the other. So, who can the reader believe? By not giving Tabby a voice (until the end) the book forces the reader to come to their own conclusions and become a spectator like the rest of the characters in the book. You (as the reader) have to decide for yourself who to believe.

Was this review helpful?

The voices were distinct and riveting, add to that the fact that once every couple of chapters or so there was a line so poignant I almost stopped to copy it out. However...that isn't how the law or police work - at all.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! This is a great read told through blog posts, text messages, depositions, court transcripts, and personal statements. It’s a whodunnit with an entire novel of suspects. I’d recommend for high school and beyond. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book totally caught me up in the story and kept me guessing as to what really happened the entire time. Every time you think you know what might have happened or who did what, something else comes out and throws doubt on what you think you know. Even after finishing the novel I'm still not sure who to believe. I think it's complicated. Just like life. Rarely are things black and white in real life and there are certainly multiple shades of gray in this book. I will recommend this to my older high school patrons and up; because of some of the situations it might be a little too mature for junior high level.

Was this review helpful?

I will start out by saying that I read this book in one day. It grabbed me from the beginning and I was not willing to put it down until all my questions were answered. The story is told from multiple points of view and at times I found this distracting (initially it was hard to remember who was who). I would have preferred fewer narrators with more fleshed out characterizations. For example, the chapters from Beck’s perspective did not add much to the story but I would have liked to understand Bridget even better. In some ways All Eyes On Her reminds me of a YA Gone Girl. These are flawed characters who may or may not be telling us the truth about what really happened. Overall I would say this would be a good recommendation for an older teen looking for a good mystery/suspense read.

Was this review helpful?

A local town favorite and college Olympic hopeful is killed while hiking in the woods with his high school girlfriend. The girlfriend is the first and only suspect until this story starts to unravel. Told by various people involved in the case and filled with social media slams this story will keep you guessing!

Was this review helpful?

This book kept me guessing! Mark and Tabby go for a hike in the mountains, and only Tabby returns. Was what happened to Mark an accident? Did Tabby have something to do with it? This book, told from seemingly every character's point of view except Tabby's, recounts the events leading up to and after the hike. Tabby and Mark become the talk of the town as their infamous hike - and Mark's subsequent death - spread across the country by way of the tabloids. It seems like everyone has a strong opinion about who's to blame... But does anyone have all the facts? The reader has to form their own opinion about what happened, as we don't even hear from the main character until the very end of the book. Can Tabby clear her name? Or is she as guilty as the tabloids seem to think she is?

This was a thrilling read, and I was still left with questions after finishing the book!

Was this review helpful?

This title was gripping from the moment I started it. I love the format, switching perspectives-giving you everyone’s side of the story except the one you really want -Tabby-It added greatly to the mystery of who killed the golden boy. There are no reliable narrators so you have to resolve the mystery for yourself. Fascinating. All around great read.

Was this review helpful?

#AllEyesonHer
#MustReadYA2020
A unique and interesting read that centers around the death of a young man. His girlfriend sits at the center of a mystery that takes place in the woods. We here from the people who knew them, but what do they really know about the pair? The book takes the reader down a dark and compelling psychological journey of how society and family doesn't always see the signs of behavior until it's too late.

Was this review helpful?

I liked the book overall—the pacing and the plot were great. I did find it really hard to keep the characters straight, especially since there were so many of them and they were all unreliable narrators and that made me enjoy it less. I am curious to see what my HS students think about it!

Was this review helpful?